Abstract
This scoping review addresses the role of functional limitations on evacuation performance of adults in public buildings. Although this topic has been addressed in evacuation research, no linkage is currently available between functional limitations, the predominant activities affected by them and evacuation performance. This review strives to open a debate on the need to classify the impact of disability in terms of functional limitations on evacuation performance according to methods adopted in health science. This paper reviews literature concerning evacuation from public buildings with adults aged ≥ 60 years and/or adults aged ≥ 18 years with functional limitations. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health has been used to identify predominant activities during an evacuation and to perform a structured classification at different levels of resolution to address self-evacuation possibilities. Results of the review are presented in a tabular form linking predominant activities in terms of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and six categories of functional limitations with the engineering evacuation time-line. The suggested classification can facilitate the assessment of the evacuation-related issues in buildings in relation to the population under consideration. The main research gaps identified include the lack of studies concerning the impact of cognitive limitations on egress, and the need to add the temporal dimension to the methods adopted in accessibility research to allow for their use in the egress field.
Highlights
The ability of people to egress in case of an emergency scenario is a well-established scientific field, with several applications, including performance-based design of fire evacuation [41] and crowd management
The selection of articles was classified in three groups: case studies, evacuation trials and egressibility studies
Papers containing information about past evacuation events and inquiries focusing on causes of fires and fatalities in context of older adults or people with disabilities were categorized as case studies
Summary
The ability of people to egress in case of an emergency scenario is a well-established scientific field, with several applications, including performance-based design of fire evacuation [41] and crowd management. The ageing process might worsen the ability of an individual to perform selfevacuation and demonstrate the importance of taking specific needs into consideration when functional capacity decreases and disability increases [69]. This is confirmed by the trends in fire-related deaths highlighting the vulnerability of older people, i.e., they have been shown to be at higher risk of dying in fire accidents [15, 30]. Given the projected worldwide demographics with an increasing ageing population and associated chronic conditions that cause disability, this issue will most likely become even more relevant in the future [71]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
